US hospital installs new robotic patient positioning system

Boca Raton Regional Hospital in Florida, US has installed the Civco Protura 6D robotic couch patient positioning system at its Lynn Cancer Institute to increase efficiency in radiation therapy treatments. The new robotic system is expected to enhance safety, precision and accuracy for patients undergoing high precision stereotactic body radiation therapy and stereotactic radiosurgery. Before robotic patient positioning, a treatment plan would be calibrated and therapy initiated. If adjustments were needed, the treatment session would be stopped, new calculations would be entered and therapy resumed. LCI Radiation Oncology medical director Tim Williams said the robotic positioning allows for automatic correction in pitch, roll and rotation and adds a new level of precision in treatment setup for both procedures. Compared with manual setups, the 6D automated robotic table increases patient setup efficiency when correction is warranted.